infectious disease
Bird Flu Is Back in the US. No One Knows What Comes Next
The fast-moving pathogen, which has already invaded Europe, was found in East Coast ducks. The last outbreak that tore through the US killed 50 million birds.
As Omicron Surges, Parents of the Youngest Kids Wait for Vaccines
With vaccine authorization months away and schools in chaos now, families fret over how best to protect their children.
To Help People With Long Covid, Scientists Need to Define It
Patients with the perplexing syndrome have reported 200 different symptoms. Researchers will have to decide which to study—and rule out.
It's Time To Fear the Fungi
Humans have long been protected from fungal infections, thanks to our nice, warm blood. Climate change could ruin that.
A Vaccine Against Valley Fever Finally Works—for Dogs
People and canines suffer horribly from the disease, caused by a fungus spreading through the increasingly dry US Southwest.
The Race Is On to Develop a Vaccine Against Every Coronavirus
A “universal” shot would protect against every branch of Covid’s viral family tree—even future ones. But getting there won’t be easy.
More Covid Vaccine Boosters Are Coming. Who Should Get Them?
Federal advisers meet again this week to discuss third shots, but it’s still not clear what the best timing is—or what the US owes the world.
Valley Fever Is Spreading Through a Hotter, Drier Western US
Researchers haven’t pinned down exactly what’s behind the rise of the deadly fungal disease. But one thing is nearly certain: Climate change plays a role.
As Covid Cases Rise, So Do Hospital-Related Infections
A decade of work helped limit the spread of dangerous pathogens in medical settings. Overcrowding from Covid care is allowing infections to rise again.
Should Kids Get Covid Shots Through Off-Label Prescriptions?
The CDC and FDA are begging docs not to jump the gun on giving children the shot before clinical trials can establish the risk of side effects for young users.
Afghanistan Almost Beat Polio. Now the Future Is Uncertain
It’s a heart-stopping moment for health officials, who reported only a single case this year—and whose campaigns may end up paused.
When the Next Animal Plague Hits, Can This Lab Stop It?
A new federal facility in Kansas will house the deadliest agricultural pathogens in the world—and researchers working tirelessly to contain them.
The Experimental African Houses That Outsmart Malaria
A field test of custom-designed homes proves that when carbon dioxide can flow out, mosquitoes stay out too.
We Still Don’t Know How Well Covid Vaccines Stop Transmission
Two new studies are being hailed as proof that vaccinated people can doff masks and pod-hop worry-free. But not so fast.
White Nationalism Is Far Worse Than a 'Disease'
Most analogies for racism as a pathology oversimplify its blight. Better diagnosing it means knowing how to treat it.
If the Virus Slows This Summer, It May Be Time to Worry
We hoped that Covid-19 would be a seasonal infection. We hoped wrong.
They Say Coronavirus Isn't Airborne—but It Is Borne by Air
The word 'airborne' means different things to different scientists, and that confusion needs to be addressed.
Traveling for the Holidays? Here's How to Not Get Sick
Airplanes may seem like the perfect place to catch a cold or flu, but the real threat isn't in the sky. It's on the ground.
How Measles Leaves Kids Exposed to Other Diseases
New techniques allow researchers to get definitive numbers on how the virus depletes its victims' antibodies and the memory cells that make them.
The Meat-Allergy Tick Also Carries a Mystery Killer Virus
A tick best known for making people allergic to red meat can also infect its victims with the deadly Bourbon virus.
Measles Had Been Eliminated. Now It’s Nearly a Daily Threat
The US declared measles eliminated in 2000, but it could lose that status in September—entering a darker era of heightened infectious disease risk.
Fighting Measles, LA Pulls a Classic Move: Quarantine
With worries over outbreaks growing nationwide, health officials responded to reports of infected individuals by imposing quarantines at UCLA and Cal State LA.
New York's Vaccine Order Shows How Health Laws Are Failing Us
The threat of bigger measles outbreaks is turning the political tides, making public health officials more willing to take draconian steps.
One Couple’s Tireless Crusade to Stop a Genetic Killer
When Sonia Vallabh lost her mother to a rare disease, she and her husband, Eric Minikel, set out to find a cure.